LOS ANGELES: Lionel Messi scored a stoppage-time equalizer as Inter Miami escaped with a 1-1 draw at the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The Galaxy dominated for long stretches of the game and took the lead in the 75th minute through Dejan Joveljic.
But the home side ended the game with ten men after midfielder Mark Delgado was sent off for a second yellow card in the 87th minute.
Jordi Alba then combined with Messi on the left, the Spaniard made a killer pull into the path of Messi, who at full stretch found the target with the outside of his left foot.
It was a rare moment of impact from Messi, who was mostly ineffective in a game where Miami, with seven starters over 30, struggled with the Galaxy’s pace.
Miami had all four of their former Barcelona stars in the starting line-up, with Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez alongside Messi.
But it was former Barcelona Galaxy player, 24-year-old Spaniard Riqui Puig, who was the dominant player on the pitch, especially in the first half when the Californian side had a number of chances.
Confident on the ball and clever in passing, Puig dictated play but should have given the home side the lead in the 13th minute from the penalty spot.
The lively Joseph Paintsil, a recent signing from Genk in Belgium, was brought down in the box by Busquets but Puig’s low free-kick was well saved by Drake Callender.
The Miami keeper then made fine saves to keep out attempts by Paintsil and Puig, and aside from a deflected Messi effort that was saved by Galaxy keeper John McCarthy, Miami created little.
Busquets and Suarez looked particularly off the pace and with their contributions limited, Messi was given little space or service.
Red card drama
It was better after the break as Miami pressed into more attacking form, but McCarthy did well to keep out two good efforts from Gomez and deal with a routine long-range shot from Messi.
The Galaxy finally got their reward when Paintsil burst onto Miami’s creaking backline, Puig’s shot was deflected by Callender and Delgado squared Joveljic, who tapped home.
After Delgado was sent off, Alba found Messi whose first-time shot flashed just wide in what proved to be a big test for the equaliser.
Miami has four points after a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake in Wednesday’s opener.
Former Canadian national team coach John Herdman got off to a positive start in his new role as head coach of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC with a deserved 0-0 draw at FC Cincinnati.
Toronto finished last in the 29-team MLS last season with just four wins all year, while Cincinnati won the Supporters Shield for the team with the best regular season record.
But there was little to choose between Herdman’s overhauled Toronto team and the Cincinnati team that lost center forward Brandon Vazquez, who was traded to Mexico’s Monterrey.
Irish defender Kevin Long, signed from Birmingham City, produced a solid debut in central defence, while fellow Honduran debutant Deiby Flores produced a strong showing as the anchor in midfield.
Timber denied the New York Red Bulls a winning start for new German coach Sandro Schwarz as they were held to a goalless draw in Nashville.
The former Mainz and Hertha Berlin coach handed a debut to Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg, brought in from sister club RB Leipzig, and he came close to opening the scoring with a long-range effort that crashed wide of the bar.
Moments earlier, Frankie Amaya hit the woodwork with a fine shot from outside the box, but the Red Bulls had goalkeeper Carlos Coronel to thank for a point after denying Tyler Boyd in the dying moments.
